Frozen alligator spotted in South Carolina pond during rare southern snowstorm

BEAUFORT, S.C. – "See you later, alligator!" is often a phrase used in a rhyming scheme to say goodbye to someone in a fun way, but for an alligator in South Carolina, and many across the Deep South, they won’t be leaving their ponds anytime soon.

Video from Cat Island, South Carolina, just outside of Hilton Head, showed an alligator stuck in an icy pond after the South's recent deep freeze, which brought a rare bout of ice and snow.

While the scene may seem worrisome with just the alligator visible above the pond’s icy waterline, experts say the behavior is a completely normal survival strategy.

"When temperatures drop significantly, alligators can enter a state called brumation - similar to hibernation," officials in Beaufort, South Carolina explained. "They slow down their metabolism and become lethargic, allowing them to conserve energy when food is scarce. During a hard freeze, they often stick their snouts above the water to breathe, while the rest of their bodies become immobilized in the icy depths."

Read more at: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/alligator-south-carolina-frozen-lake-snowstorm-brumation